H Class
H Class Royal Navy SS (Submarine) The H Class was built from 1915-1919 and is the entry-level Submarine for players in the U.K. line. She has better defense and speed than entry subs from other navies. Purchasing the H Class also starts the player down a line of subs that prioritizes forward-firing torpedoes. The H Class is configured with 4 front and 0 rear torpedo launchers. The next sub in this line is the Thames, which has 6 forward and 0 rear. To put that into perspective: only one sub in the entire game (T11, IJN) has more than 6 forward torpedoes. While other navies start putting rear torpedoes on their subs at Tier 6, the U.K. line holds off until Tier 9, focusing instead on forward tubes. This means that U.K. subs consistently have equal and usually greater Alpha (front-fire damage spike) than other subs, at least until Tier 11. At tier 11, the Japanese and German subs finally overtake U.K. on Alpha, but they have 0 rearward tubes, compared to U.K.'s Tier 11 which has 4 rear-fire in addition to 6 front-fire. Over all, the U.K. has a fearsome line of subs. Suggested Strategy The slowest and most fragile ship in any navy, the sub also has the shortest line of sight. The primary role of a submarine is to appear suddenly out of nowhere, use the sub's notoriously high burst damage on high value targets such as Battleships (BB) and Aircraft Carriers (CV), and then disappear (run away) before the sub's famous squishiness gets the player sunk. Unlike destroyers, subs are vulnerable to mines and cannot capture bases. A player using the H Class is probably just getting started with subs, and the key to getting started is patience. If you have read any guides to playing subs, they probably don't apply to entry-level subs on the first day that you step onto the bridge. At first, the slow speed and limited air time will get many players into trouble, and it is very common to fail miserably the first several times driving a sub. But with time and Research, the ship's air time will increase dramatically and the speed will also increase, making it much easier to get the job done without sinking. Don't give up on subs after the first ten battles in a row all end in disaster. It DOES get better. Hint: CVs can often be found at the extreme edges of the map, where air time is often unimportant. The ~ key in battle will show if there are any CVs present in that particular battle. The radar map may show you where to hunt. The usual advice for dealing with Destroyers (DD) with their depth charges and high speed is: Avoid Them. If there is a large brawl in progress that includes Cruisers and Destroyers, you might toss a few proximity torpedoes into the fray from a distance as you pass by, but keep going. The H Class is a slow boat with a thin skin. When actively hunted by more than one destroyer or cruiser, you are very probably going to get eaten. Go deep and try to flee. Don't change direction every 20 yards, like a drunken scallywag. Pick a destination quickly and stick to it. If you can't run away easily, focus on sinking the destroyer(s) or at least blowing a few holes in their broadsides before getting sunk. In this situation you might want to set your torpedoes to Contact Detonation. It is very hard to hit a destroyer with contact torpedoes, but a wounded destroyer is probably still faster than the H Class, so you probably need to sink the destroyer(s) that are hunting you, and fast. Frankly, you'll probably end up visiting Davy Jones' Locker either way, but at least get some practice going all-in with contact detonation. Stopping entirely can be a useful tactic at times, especially if you can tuck into a little cove. Rocks block sonar. But even in open water, stopping may still be better than trying to flee a destroyer which is MUCH faster than the H Class. This is the price one pays for not having any rear-fire torpedoes to sink/slow pursuers. Look for allies to run to, or even friendly bases in a pinch. When faced with no good choices, try to be unpredictable. If you stay under after air runs out, the sub will take damage every few seconds until it sinks about 30 seconds later. If you surface among enemies, you will probably get sunk, but at least you might delay the inevitable, keeping the enemy lit up for a few more seconds for your teammates. Maybe you'll even get off a shot or two on your way out. If you are running out of air and decide to try to sink the DD, don't just rise to level 1. Surface all the way. His depth charges are less likely to breach your hatches on the surface, and you can recharge some air at the same time. Even 15 seconds on the surface can buy you enough air to get away sometimes. Rarely, (especially if they see you still have full durability when you surfaced) the destroyers might get tired of playing cat and mouse and just go away, not realizing that you only have 15 seconds of air left and no rear-fire torpedoes. When encountering enemy subs, try to avoid getting sunk by your own team's depth charges, cannons and torpedoes. The H Class is more at home in a hit-and-run 1 vs. 1 fight than an all-out brawl. The H Class is not particularly good at hunting and sinking enemy subs, but spamming her sonar can be useful when you are escorting allied Battleships (BB) or Carriers (CV). Shooting torpedoes is possible only on the surface or at depth one. It is possible to dodge incoming torpedoes by diving to any depth greater than one. Train Weapon officers in Launcher for faster reloading of torpedoes. Train Support officers in Engine and/or Repair. Train Special officers in Dive. Engine skill increases Air Time. Dive skill makes the sub harder to detect with sonar. With the H Class, a player will likely be limited by Air Time more often than Launcher Reload speed. Suggested Equipment Boiler, Repair Crew